January 28, 2005

January 28, 2005

C.A.R.E. Centre & Livingston, Texas

DAY 224

 

Happy Birthday, Joanne

 

Today started out cold and raining heavily. I got out of bed to go walk Ginger, then Bo, in the cold rain, then crawled back into bed soaking wet and cold. I fell asleep again and stayed in bed under the warm covers until 11:00 A.M..

I have been trying to avoid the Centre, and the petty politics within, during regular business hours. I've been fairly successful, but today I got nabbed by Carol while I was in the Centre for just a minute. She wanted to "discuss" what's going to happen to Rodney's dog Ginger after we leave here on Monday. I've been trying to avoid that discussion because we don't agree on the subject. She's determined to see Rodney get rid of Ginger, and I'm determined to see that Rodney gets to keep Ginger. For at least the short term foreseeable future, the score is me ; 1, and Carol ; zero ! We have arranged for another volunteer to walk Ginger every morning, and set up a tie out for Rodney to put Ginger outside the motorhome every evening for ten minutes or so.

When Joanne went to work on supper preparations at 2:00 P.M., I headed into Livingston. I found the local pet supply store, and bought a training collar / choke chain for Bo. I've been trying to accomplish formal obedience training with Bo without using a choker, but it's so difficult to get his attention and keep him focussed, I've decided to give in and try using a choker. I wish they had never been called chokers or choke chains. The more appropriate name for them is training collars. They are so often misused, and calling them chokers just adds to the misperceptions of how they are to be used correctly. Anyways, we had a training session this afternoon using the "choker", and it went well. Bo is so small, I have to be very careful to give only very gentle corrections, but it was the same with Nikki. After the pet supply store I went to Wal-Mart and bought Joanne a birthday cake in their bakery. Here in the U.S., the Wal-Mart stores include full line grocery stores within. From Wal-Mart, on to the Post Office to see if the last piece of mail we're expecting here in Livingston had arrived yet. It still had not arrived. That means we're going to have to go into Livingston Monday morning, on our way out of here, towing the trailer. I'll have to park the rig in a shopping mall nearby and walk tothe Post Office. It's not possible to get into the Post Office's parking lot with the truck and trailer.

When I returned to the trailer, Lorri phoned to wish Joanne a Happy Birthday. I worked out a plan with Madeleine and Amelia to phone this evening, and while they sang Happy Birthday to Aunt Joanne, I rushed the hidden birthday cake out of its hiding spot and lit the candle on the cake. By the time the nieces were finished singing Happy Birthday, ( one after another ! ), the cake was ready for Aunt Joanne's wish, and the blowing out of the candle. I only had one candle, and that one was recycled. HA HA HA ... it was the candle I kept from my 50th birthday cake. I don't know why yet, but the phone call from the little nieces was made while they were inside The Bay, shopping. I can sort of imagine the scene inside the department store. " Mommy, Mommy ... it's 7:30 ... we have to phone Aunt Joanne now ! ! ! "

Just before dinner, I went into the Centre and worked for an hour on the equipment inventory. A little bit more this weekend, and I'll quit at some logical point. Let the next stooge pick it up from where I leave off. I loudly sang Happy Birthday to Joanne in the dining room just as she finished serving dinner to the participants, before serving herself and me. Many of the participants wished her a Happy Birthday, and one even had bought her a card. We like most of the participants, and most of them like us. If it weren't for the petty politics and power mongering going on here, this would be a really great place.

DSK